World Cup 2014 - Andros on Brazil

Andros Townsend relished every moment of his time at the World Cup.

And the flying winger admitted he was more nervous about his debut as a television pundit than for his full England debut!

Andros joined ITV for a number of group matches in Brazil before returning to the club for final rehabilitation work on the ankle injury that ultimately ruled him out of making the England squad for the tournament.

“I would have loved to have been playing but it was important to still be able to go out to Brazil and work in some way, to get that inspiration, to almost feel how much it hurt not to be able to play,” explained Andros, who exploded onto the international scene with a goalscoring debut in England’s key qualifying win against Montenegro in October.

“It was a great experience and really interesting to see another side of football by working on television.

“There is a certainly pressure involved. In fact, I was more nervous doing the live TV than I was making my England debut!

“It’s live TV and you have to get it right. I had a positive reaction and I think I did alright. I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Andros described the ‘carnival atmosphere’ in Brazil. “The people love their football and they were partying 24/7,” he said. “The beach was full of fans and it was a great experience to be part of it.

“The matches I covered were great, high-scoring and entertaining. There was a thought beforehand that the games might be a bit cagey, especially with the heat, but everyone has bought into the Brazilian way and it’s been attacking football, lots of goals and great for the neutral.”